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Baker interested in managing USA someday

Joe Torre, Ryan Vogelsong, Ryan Braun and Brandon Phillips talk about their 4-3 loss to Puerto Rico and being eliminated from the Classic

By Mark Sheldon
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MLB.com |

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Tommy Lasorda, Davey Johnson and Joe Torre have all had turns managing the American squad in the World Baseball Classic. One of these days, Reds manager Dusty Baker would like a shot.

"I would like to manage it when I'm through," Baker said Saturday. "I don't want to do it now."

All three Team USA managers were no longer managing when they took the post. Johnson did return to the Majors and currently skippers the Nationals.

"Tony La Russa is probably next in line," Baker said of the retired former Cardinals manager.

Team USA has been eliminated from the Classic in the second round in all three editions.

Baker, who kept tabs on the tournament, likes how seriously the Latin American and Asian teams and fans are about the World Baseball Classic. He was disappointed with how things turned out this year for the Americans, who were eliminated Friday by Puerto Rico.

"It hurts me to see, not the elimination part, but the fact that most of our best players didn't play," Baker said. "Not to take anything away from the guys there, but there were a lot of players that canceled out for whatever reason. You look at the other countries, there were a lot fewer that canceled. It kind of shows that I don't know if this is as much as American of a game as we'd like to think."

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.